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Children and teens are impressionable, there is no doubt about that. I think to try and force feed an adult view of life onto them is wrong, but I don't think you quite meant force feeding in the literal sense.

As Kat has said, surely it is better for children to experience fear for the first time in the form of a book or TV programme (hiding behind the sofa watching Doctor Who) than to encounter the weird cocktail of emotions of fear in the wild so to speak. I think that we should stop wrapping the younger generations in bubble wrap. I'm not saying that a child is ever going to find themselves trapped by a monster in the land of nightmares, but they might be bullied at school. If someone their age could overcome the fear of real monsters, then it could give them the inner strength required to overcome the fear of the school bully and tell someone about it.

In fact I'm currently writing my annual Christmas story and I have found myself taking a whole new direction than normal. I think this might actually be a Christmas story for children. It covers the theme of bullying. It isn't horror in anyway, but it is fantasy and the main character is often scared. Children associate more strongly with characters than adults do a lot of the time, so when they read a character overcoming adversity they will take a lesson away with them. Most of the time they won't even realise they've learnt a lesson, but it will be there ready for when they need it.

Here are some quotes I quite like that are related:

'Fear is the brain's way of saying there is something important to overcome.' (not sure on who said that)

'We make up horrors to help us overcome the real ones.' - Stephen King

'[Horror fiction] shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion.' - Clive Barker (probably best not tell this one to kids!)

'Fear is nothing more than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears, we can move forward, stronger and wiser within ourselves.' not sure on who said that.


Thanks,
Matt


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